And to answer the question about electric vs kick start parts weight... Closer to the beginning of the thread I did a straight comparison of all the components and did not count in the battery, but did include the heavy metal kick start arm from the SR500. And still, a huge weight savings - see image below.

I actually plan to use the base part of the SR500 kick starter and design my own arm to be machined up in 6061-T6. This will of course be much lighter but I am almost forced to do this anyway because of the clearance required by the rear sets, despite the fact that I upgraded to folding ones! I have heard the RD400 kick start lever has good clearance/sticks out further? But then again, that would be heavy, forged steel anyway.

Not sure how it is on the SR, but when I thought about removing the starter clutch from my kz750 I noticed there is an oil journal where the starter clutch rides on the crank. I'm not sure but it may be necessary to have a spacer to replace the starter clutch so that oil pressure is retained.

In all probability it's to prevent the bronze bearing on starter reduction seizing up?

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'you can take my word for it or argue until you find out I'm right'Best thing I ever overheard"yep, PJ's my boss, he taught me everything I know, just didn't teach me everything he knows"Brian Morgan, 1982

Not sure how it is on the SR, but when I thought about removing the starter clutch from my kz750 I noticed there is an oil journal where the starter clutch rides on the crank. I'm not sure but it may be necessary to have a spacer to replace the starter clutch so that oil pressure is retained.

That is correct. That is why I had the drive gear machined down to just it's hub - to maintain any other important functions is might have - like oil flow control. Below you can see what is was and what it became - final image shows the outsourced machine work which included grinding it down properly on a lathe.

CB77 Honda used a similar arrangement with a hole in the crank to lubricate the bush. CL cranks don't use a starter so they don't have that oil hole, but cannot always source a CL crank or crank end, so I used to use a carb needle to block the hole. Cut it short, and "rivet" it into place. Never had one come loose.

After rebuilding the engine and having spent so much time and money on it, I thought it wouldn't hurt to develop a billet magnetic sump plug. One, because the stock one is tiny and the cast alloy is like butter, and two because well a magnetic sump plug is good!

I bought a countersunk neodymium magnet that works with an M4 screw and designed around that. The printed prototype works really well and I will do one further iteration before ordering it in aluminium.

CB77 Honda used a similar arrangement with a hole in the crank to lubricate the bush. CL cranks don't use a starter so they don't have that oil hole, but cannot always source a CL crank or crank end, so I used to use a carb needle to block the hole. Cut it short, and "rivet" it into place. Never had one come loose.

You could probably fill it with low temp solder or brass too.

That's a great idea Teazer. However I was concerned in this case that that oil galley in the crankshaft might feed other important things on the clutch side of the crank case assembly. Oh well, no harm done either way I'm pretty sure. In this form, it will just do it's thing the same way it did in stock form.